


Animo's Secret Family

by Unisparkle05



Series: No Matter What Your DNA Is, You're A Hero [1]
Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Animo is a terrible person, Ben 10 reboot - Freeform, Ben has a crush, Ben is dense, F/M, Grandpa Max is being Grandpa Max, Gwen is kinda done with Ben's shenagans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-01-26 20:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21380464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unisparkle05/pseuds/Unisparkle05
Summary: Ben Tennyson just wanted to stop the creepy, crazy clown and get on with his day. Maybe annoy Gwen. Tease Grandpa Max. Maybe play a few pranks using his aliens. But instead Ben wound up six feet deep into the woods with a minor concussion. Oh and he thinks a wolf is stalking him. One that seems strangely......... human.
Relationships: Ben Tennyson/Original Female Character(s)
Series: No Matter What Your DNA Is, You're A Hero [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1541353
Kudos: 3





	1. Worst Day Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben winds up lost in the woods after fighting Zombozo while in Yellowstone National Park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This an AU of Ben 10 2016 reboot. In thus AU Dr Animo has a family and has done some inhumane things to them.

Ben Tennyson was having the worse day of his life. He woke up, played a few practical jokes on Gwen and Grandpa Max and ate breakfast. Grandpa Max had proposed a trip back to Yellowstone, you know after what happened last time with Le Grange and a bunch of psycho racers that Ben had to take care of.

It started off fine. They arrived at Yellowstone, set up the tents and went on a hike and then came back for lunch. At least that was the plan until Zombozo showed up.

He was trying to hypnotize people into finding Yellowstone's national treasure. 

Apparently he hadn't heard that the treasure had already been found and was now in possession of the government. 

Ben was still miffed about it. He had been so close to creating Cybearg. 

So Ben had to go and get rid of Zombozo before he caused any irreparable damage. At least that had been the plan. Turns out Zombozo had invested in a water cannon and blasted Ben (as Stinkfly) six feet into the woods. Ben had landed hard on his head and now he's pretty sure he has a concussion. On top of that, he timed out. Not that he could have flown out with Stinkfly's wings being wet and all.

_This is just perfect. _Ben thought to himself. _I'm lost in the woods, i have a concussion and worst of all, i've timed out!_

Ben looked around his surroundings. He could see nothing but trees all around him. He sighed. 

_Guess i pick a random direction and just walk off in it. _Ben thought.

_and hope i don't get even more lost._

After playing eenie meenie miny moe, Ben began walking off in the direction of a bunch of Puffball mushrooms. Ben walked for what felt like hours. He was pretty sure that he was going to be stuck in this forest for the rest of his life.

If only it wasn't government protected property. Then he could use Heatblast to burn his way out. Nah, he couldn't do that. Where would all the animals live if he burned down their homes? Besides he already burnt down a forest once and he still felt guilty over it.

He trudged onwards, hoping that eventually he'd come across someone who could help him. As long they weren't some weird creature that wanted to eat him, he'd be fine. He shuddered when he thought about those chefs at food fair.

What kind of chefs wanted to eat a ten year old boy anyway? 

Ben began to wonder if the food that he, Gwen and Grandpa Max ate was even food. It could have been people for all he knew!

_No Benjamin, don't think about it. Otherwise, you'll give yourself nightmares. And a perpetual fear of food fairs for the rest of your life. _Ben thought to himself.

He finally came to rest out a fallen tree stump.

_I'll just rest here a minute. Then i'll keep walking. _Ben thought to himself.

Turns out that one minute was an entire hour. How in the world did he manage to fall asleep propped on top of a tree stump, he had no clue. At least he was well rested. His throat was dry though. And he was hungry. He could hear a stream nearby and there were plenty of Puffball mushrooms he could eat. He had heard from Gwen that they were edible. He just couldn't remember how to tell which ones were edible or not. In all honesty, he had tuned her out when she started going on about how they grew, their function and other boring stuff.

He was just about to throw all caution to the wind (not that he didn't do that on a regular basis) and pick one up, when he felt as if he was being watched. Ben looked around. He couldn't see anything or anyone. He looked down at his watch. It was still red, an indication that it still hadn't fully charged.

"What?! How?! It's been an hour!" Ben yelled. First thing he was going to do when he got back to the Rustbucket (besides stuffing his face full of Grandpa Max's famous burgers and getting some sleep in a proper bed) was check for an instruction manual for the Omnitrix. He seriously felt like the watch hated him and he had no idea why.

Sometimes Ben felt like the watch was a rebellious teenager and he was the exasperated parent.

"Hello? Is somebody there?" Ben asked. He heard a growl.

Nervously, he looked around. His eyes landed on a pair of narrow glowing eyes staring back at him. 

"Okay, you seem like you're not a huge fan of people. I'm just gonna go." Ben said, slowly backing away.

The thing let out a snarl and leaped towards him.

Ben let out a very manly (it wasn't that manly) shriek and fell back, lifting his arms up to defend himself.

Then all went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh. I sure hope Ben is okay. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and any questions that you have, please leave them down in the comment section below and i'll try to answer them as quickly as i can.


	2. The Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben survives the wolf attack but something about the wolf reminds him of a human. He decides to follow it around to get more information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back with a second chapter! I am killing it with these uploads!!! And don't worry, the second chapter of World Of Light is in progress as well as the second chapter of The Sinking Kingdom. 
> 
> Ahhhh, the suspense is killing me!!! Is Sonic okay? Will the Little Club investigate the story that the weird man told them at the beach? Ahh, so much suspension!!!!!

Ben opened his eyes to a bright light.

_This is it. _Ben thought. _I'm dead._

Ben blinked a little. He realised with a start that he was still in the forest. He opened his eyes wider and let out a gasp and scooted backward.

The wolf stood above him, staring at him with golden yellow eyes.

The wolf was big and had gray, matted fur and had a long scar along it's hide as well as one on it's leg. The wolf was also skinny. So skinny that Ben could see it's ribcage through it's fur. It had a weary, almost tired look in it's eyes as it stared at Ben.

Ben waited for several long minutes. The wolf made no move to charge at him. It didn't bare it's teeth or snarl at him like he had seen wolves in the movies do. It almost looked as if the wolf were waiting for Ben to make the first move.

Ben glanced down on the Omnitrix. It was still red. 

_Looks like i'm going to have to get out of this without an alien. If i lose a limb, it isn't going to grow back like it would if i was Wildvine. _Ben thought.

_Okay Benjamin, just find away to get up without making the wolf angry and then high tail out of here as fast as you can. Without_ XLR8._ Or any other alien._

Ben took a deep breath.

He began to slowly push himself up. The wolf took a step back and let out a low rumbling growl.

_Okay, didn't like that._ Ben thought. _Well too bad. I need to get out of here before it gets any bright ideas. Like eating me._

Ben slowly began standing up. The wolf 's growls got louder and louder and it backed away more and more. By the time Ben was fully on his feet, the wolf had backed all the way back into the bushes, it's snout and eyes being the only things showing.

Ben stared at the wolf.

He could see a few scratches and wounds over it. It had a few scars on it's paws that looked like barbed wire marks. Either the wolf had crawled through a barbed wire fence trying to find food and got stuck or it wound up getting caught in a barbed wire trap and had somehow, by some miracle managed to get away. Whether it was sheer luck on the wolf's part, some kind hearted hiker, a park ranger or the very person who had set the trap in first place, the wolf had gotten away.

The thought burned Ben up.

_This is Yellowstone National Park! It's supposed to be protected from people like poachers! _Ben thought, angrily. _I bet that poacher came back, saw the wolf stuck in his/her trap and came over to free it so they could kill it. I hope the wolf ate them. Would serve them right and the wolf looks like it hasn't eaten in a while._

Then another thought to came to Ben.

_Wait a minute. If this wolf hasn't ate in a while and has been hunted by humans, why hasn't it eaten me yet? _Ben wondered. _Surely, it would have eaten me by now, right?_

Ben thought back to what Gwen had said about wolves when she and Ben had been looking up animal facts (Ben wanted to be as accurate as possible when he finally got enough money to make Cybearg).

Wolves were naturally afraid of people and were extremely territorial, which explained why the wolf had attacked him in the first place. He had probably stepped into it's territory. It didn't explain though, why it was still here.

Ben found himself staring into the wolf's eyes. There was something strange about them. Instead of seeing a wild, starving, territorial animal hell bent on his immediate destruction, Ben saw something else.

The wolf looked tired, almost desperate. As if it were hoping that Ben would take pity on it and put it out of it's misery. Either that or give something to eat. It looked as if the poor thing had been fighting all it's life and now it looked like it was just about done with the world. Ben couldn't help but feel sorry for it.

Ben knew he must be crazy. Feeling sorry for an animal, that if given the chance might eat him and use his bones to floss it's jaws. But he did. Maybe it was because he was an animal lover. Maybe it was because he could relate to the wolf in a strange way. Or maybe it was because he hit his head way harder than he thought. But he couldn't help but feel sorry for it.

Ben took a step towards the wolf. It let out another growl. Ben ignored it and took another step closer. He kept walking until he was at arm's length from the wolf.

_What am i doing? _Ben wondered. _Am i seriously trying to pet a wild animal?_

Yes, yes he was. But the wolf looked like it was in need of comfort. In need of reassurance. He reached his hand out to it, the wolf began snarling.

Just as Ben's hand was about to make contact with the wolf's snout, it barred it's teeth at him and let out a sound halfway between a roar and a snarl and ran away.

Ben watched it go.

_What the heck was that? _Ben wondered.

Up until that point, the wolf had reminded him of a person with the way it looked at him. Then the human like look in it's eyes went away and was replaced by an animalistic gleam.

Ben found himself walking after it.

_What am i doing? That wolf clearly wants to be left alone! It wouldn't have snarled at me like that if it didn't!" _Ben thought.

_That was a weird snarl though. It sounded kinda like a bear roar mixed with a wolf snarl. _Ben thought as he climbed through the bushes.

He looked down to see the wolf's paw prints. They were big, but they weren't as big as a full grown wolf's paws.

_Is it a juvenile? _Ben thought. He mentally praised himself for remembering the correct term for wolves that weren't quite adults yet.

He followed the paw prints to a stream. He quickly and quietly crouched behind a bush when he saw the wolf.

It was lapping away at the stream, drinking sloppily. Ben heard a sound that sounded like a bird chirping. The wolf must have heard it too because it's ears pricked up and it started walking towards the sound.

Ben followed it, trying his best not to make noise. Ben looked up and gasped when he saw what had been making the noise.

It was a baby blue bird that looked like it had fallen out of it's nest. 

Ben looked at the wolf. The wolf looked hungry and by the way it's ribcage was showing, Ben could tell that it had not eaten in many days, weeks in fact. The wolf also looked injured, it had to have gotten those scars and scrapes from somewhere. It was probably waiting for an easy meal like this.

Ben looked down at the Omnitrix. It had finally recharged. Ben looked back at the wolf and baby bird.

_I could go XLR8 and grab the baby bird and run off. _Ben thought. _Nah, that wouldn't work. Gwen said that wolves are great runners and have a lot of stamina. It'd probably just chase me down until i timed out and then make a snack out of me and the bird._

_I could go Heatblast. Wolves are scared of fire. Nah, i might wind up burning down the forest._

Ben kept thinking.

_I could use Stinkfly. Wolves don't like strong smells._ Ben thought.

_But if it's hungry enough, it may not care._

Ben was just about to say screw it and go over and help the baby bird anyway when the wolf did something that surprised him.

It gently nudged the baby bird with it's snout onto baby bird's feet. The baby bird must have been surprised because it chirped in confusion.

The wolf gently picked up the baby bird with it's mouth and began climbing the tree. It sat the baby bird gently back in it's nest and began climbing down. 

Or Ben guessed that was the wolf's plan. On it's way down, it lost it's footing of pawing and fell. 

Ben watched in shock as the wolf fell onto the ground.

Throwing all caution to the wind, Ben ran over to help it.

Miraculously, the wolf was alive, exhausted but alive. It took one look at Ben approaching it, leaped up and took off.

"Hey! Wait!" Ben called. 

He chased after it. The wolf dodged trees, branches and rocks while Ben tripped and stumbled over them.

He tripped over a branch and scrambled up and looked around. The wolf was nowhere to be seen.

Ben was about to give up and walk back in the direction he came from, when he heard a metallic snap and a loud whimper.

Ben took off in the direction of the sound.

He gasped in horror at what he saw.

The wolf's back paw was trapped in a bear trap, blood leaking out of the wound. It looked like it was in pain. It noticed Ben and looked at him, almost as if it were pleading with him to save it.

Ben felt a flash of anger.

_This is crazy! This place is supposed to be government protected! People aren't supposed to be hunting here, much less setting up traps! _Ben thought angrily. _Now this wolf is stuck in this monstrosity, all because someone couldn't be bothered to have a little decency for animals!_

Ben carefully walked over. He looked at the trap. It was clamped shut around the poor wolf's leg. The wolf must have run right into it without seeing it.

Ben couldn't use any of his aliens or else he might startle the wolf and make it injure itself more.

Ben looked around. He found a branch and brought it over. He managed to wedge it in between the trap's teeth. He pushed down as hard as he could. The trap slowly began to open, bit by bit. Eventually it opened enough for the wolf to wiggle it's paw out. Ben let go of the branch and trap snapped back closed, breaking the branch in half.

The wolf looked at Ben. It had what looked like gratitude in it's eyes.

"You're welcome." Ben said.

The wolf made like it was going to walk over to him when it suddenly lurched. Ben stepped back a little. The wolf kept lurching in what seemed like pain. It tore off in the direction of more trees.

Ben followed after it. He had to see if it was okay.

After a while, Ben lost the wolf. He wandered around aimlessly for about an hour when he came to a clearing. He walked into it and then tripped over something.

Ben turned around to see what it was.

There lying in the field was the body of a girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dun!!! Wow Ben, how do you keep finding yourself in these situations? First it was the wolf and now it's the girl.
> 
> All though, where did the girl come from? Is she dead? I wonder.


	3. The Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben comes across a mysterious girl in the woods. Facing no other options and unwilling to leave her injured by herself in the woods, Ben takes her back to the Rustbucket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and welcome to the third chapter!!! Now we'll get to find out who this girl is.

Ben looked down at the girl. She was breathing , albeit a little hard. Her face was scrunched up in pain and she was laying on her side. 

She had a round face and dirty blonde hair and tan skin as well as freckles over her nose and cheeks. She was wearing a denim jacket, a white shirt and jeans and shoes that had all been ripped and torn up. Ben could see a heavy splash of freckles covering her shoulders, neck and some of her upper back.

_okay, Benjamin. Stop staring at the unconscious and clearly injured girl. _Ben thought to himself. _It's creepy._

The girl's right foot looked like it had been yanked out of it's socket and then popped back in. Ben noticed that her foot was bleeding. What was worse, it looked like her foot was going to fall off any minute.

_I can't just leave her like this._ Ben thought. 

Ben decided to wake her up.

_I hope she doesn't kick me. _

Ben shook her. The girl stirred a little, but didn't quite wake up. Ben shook her again, a little harder this time.

Her eyes began to flutter. Ben shook her again. This time her eyes fluttered open. She squinted against the light. She gave Ben a confused look. It kinda reminded Ben of a confused puppy.

"Who are you?" The girl asked.

"Uh, my name's Ben. Ben Tennyson." Ben said.

The girl looked at him. Her face slowly lit up with a small smile.

"Amy." She said.

"Nice to meet you, Amy. Whatcha doing way out here in the woods?" Ben asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Amy said, pushing herself up to her feet, she winced as she put weight down on her damaged foot but otherwise showed no outward signs of discomfort.

"Uh, exploring?" Ben offered.

Amy looked at Ben's wrist. 

"Nice watch." She said.

"Thanks. Nice.... jacket?" Ben said, gesturing to the ripped and torn jacket she was wearing.

"It got a little messed up." Amy explained.

"A little?" Ben asked, eyebrow raised.

"Okay, a lot." Amy laughed.

_She has a nice laugh. _Ben thought. _Wait, where'd that come from? _

"So uh, do you have a family that's looking for you?" Ben asked.

Amy stopped laughing, a solemn look growing on her face. She kicked at the dirt with her good foot. 

"Nope, it's just me." She said.

She looked down at the ground and then back at Ben with unshed tears in her bright green eyes. Ben would have given anything to get those tears to go away. 

_What is wrong with me? _Ben thought.

"Um hey, i'm here with my grandpa and cousin. You can come with me, y-y-you know, if you want." Ben said.

_Why am i stammering?_

Amy gave him a smile and Ben thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

_What the heck is going on with me? _Ben thought.

She extended her hand to him. Ben took it.

_Her hand is really soft- why am i noticing this? Is there some kind of chemical in the air? _Ben thought.

"Lead the way." She said.

Ben slung her arm over his neck and slipped his arm around her waist and started walking in the direction he came from.

Amy kept wincing each time she put weight down on her bad foot. She started humming a tune under her breath.

Ben thought it was pretty.

_Am i coming down with something? Do i need to the hospital? _Ben thought.

_Why is my heart beating fast? Why does my face feel hot? What's happening to me? _Ben thought.

After a few minutes of walking around the forest, Ben finally had to stop.

"What's happening?" Amy asked.

Ben didn't respond. He just looked around the forest, trying to find a familiar sign.

"Are we lost?" Amy asked, point blank.

Ben shook his head. A little too quickly.

"No! No, no, no. We're not lost, i'm just admiring the scenery." Ben said.

"Right. You're admiring the scenery. While we're lost in the middle of a forest. In Yellowstone National Park. With a bunch of wild animals. While one of us has an injury that's currently bleeding." Amy deadpanned. "But by all means, admire the scenery. It's not like our lives are at stake."

_Snarky. _Ben thought. He couldn't help but think that Amy sounded cute while she was busy snarking him. 

"Think you can do better?" Ben asked.

Amy went quiet for a few minutes. At first Ben thought that she was just standing in defeated silence to let him figure out where they were when he heard a loud sniffing sound. Then Amy tugged his sleeve and pointed to right.

"That way." She said.

She sounded confident so Ben decided to listen to her. If all else failed and they got even more lost, Ben could just say i told you so. But to his surprise, Amy really did know where she was going. Soon they arrived back at the camping area. After passing a couple of RVs and tents, they finally arrived at the Rustbucket. Grandpa Max was busy cooking burgers while Gwen kept staring worriedly at the forest.

"Hey guys." Ben said.

Gwen immediately turned to look at him. Her face lit up and she ran over to him. Grandpa Max dropped the spatula he was using to flip the patties and ran over to Ben.

"Ben!" They both shouted.

They gave Ben a huge hug.

"We were so worried about you, Cous." Gwen said.

"Where have you been?" Grandpa Max asked 

"Uh, lost in the woods." Ben shrugged.

"Lost in the woods?!" Grandpa Max asked. "For how long?" 

"Hmm, an hour. Give or take." Ben responded.

"You've been lost in the woods, in Yellowstone National Park, for a whole hour?' Gwen asked.

"Like i said, give or take." Ben replied.

"And you're not mad that we didn't go look for you?" Gwen asked.

"I mean i was at first but then something came up and i just forgot about it." Ben said.

"What came up?" Grandpa Max asked.

"Oh right! Gang, meet Amy!" Ben said, gesturing to the now exhausted and frankly timid looking girl hiding behind him.

Amy waved limply.

"Ben, what happened to her?" Gwen asked, shocked at how filthy Amy looked.

"And what happened to her leg?!" Grandpa Max exclaimed, pointing to Amy's messed off foot. 

Gwen let out a horrified gasp when she saw it. Quickly, she grabbed Amy's hand and sat her down on a picnic table so she wasn't standing on her bad leg.

"I honestly don't know. I found her passed out in the woods like this." Ben said, having noticed by now that Amy hadn't said two since they arrived.

Grandpa Max inspecting Amy's foot.

"Well, we need to disinfect it and bandage it. We should also take her to a hospital to get some x-rays done to make sure she hasn't damaged any bones as well as getting her some stitches." Grandpa Max said.

At the mention of a hospital, Amy whimpered.

"No! I don't need to go to a hospital, it'll heal just fine on it's own!" Amy shouted. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth when she did. Ben didn't know if she did it because she had shouted or because she had spoken.

Gwen, Grandpa Max and Ben stared at her.

"Your foot is quite literally hanging by a thread." Gwen pointed out. 

"A tendon to be exact." Grandpa Max said.

"I know that going to the doctor is scary, but they can help you Amy." Ben said.

Amy looked at him like a frightened puppy looking to its owner for comfort.

"At least let us clean and bandage that foot for you." Ben pleaded. He had no idea why he was trying so hard to comfort Amy, but she looked like she really needed it, what with trembling like a terrified animal.

After what seemed like forever, Amy nodded. Grandpa Max began disinfecting her foot while Gwen fixed up the burgers. Ben held Amy's hand the entire time, though he had no idea why he did it.

By the time the burgers were finished, Amy's foot had been cleaned and bandaged. Gwen had made an extra burger, picking up on the fact that Amy looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks. And judging by the way she tore through her burger, she hadn't. Afterwards, Gwen and Grandpa Max cleaned up while Ben went to go play video games.

Since Amy was the most in need of a bath, Grandpa Max let her go first even though she insisted on letting someone else go first. Gwen gave Amy a set of her pajamas even though Amy insisted on being fine.

"She seems fine for now, but i'd like to take her to the doctor tomorrow, just to be sure." Grandpa Max said.

"I agree. She nearly lost her foot and probably would have bled to death if Ben hadn't found her." Gwen said.

"I don't know you guys. You saw how she reacted when Grandpa mentioned the hospital." Ben said.

"I know, Ben. She might feel up to it tomorrow. She could have just reacted that way because she was tired." Grandpa Max said.

With that, Everyone headed to bed. Ben wad just beginning to fall asleep when he heard a rustle and blankets being thrown off. The last image he saw as he went to sleep was a leg swinging down from the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, i've compared Amy's facial expressions and body language to animals a lot in this chapter. Also, it seems like Ben's got a crush. I know what a lot of you are thinking, three chapters in and not a mention of Animo? We're almost near the end of the story! Don't worry, the last two chapters are going to feature Animo and his connection to Amy.


	4. A Startling Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Amy's visit to the hospital, Ben decides to take her on a walk through the forest. Animo shows up and Ben discovers a very startling secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and welcome to the fourth chapter. Things are about to get serious. Very, very serious.

* * *

"Come on!" Ben shouted, waving his hand to motion Amy over.

"Are you sure we should be doing this? I mean you got lost last time." Amy said.

"What? I didn't get lost! Besides, what are you talking about? You got lost too! I found you passed out in the woods with a mangled foot!" Ben exclaimed.

Amy flinched and began tugging on a strand of hair.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sound so harsh." Ben said. 

_Nice going Benjamin, you frightened her. Wait, why do i care? Ben thought._

"No, no, it's fine." Amy said.

The two preteens walked on in silence.

Early that morning, Grandpa Max had woken them all up and had them get dressed. Amy wound up having to wear some of Gwen's clothes again. They drove to the hospital and Gwen and Ben wound up having to drag Amy out of the bathroom. Once there, Amy got checked out by a doctor. Her foot which yesterday had looked like it was on the verge of falling off had remarkably looked like it had started healing itself since last night much to Gwen, Grandpa Max and Ben's shock. All Amy could do was shrug sheepishly.

"I told you it would heal?" She offeree sheepishly.

As it turns out, Amy was also far below the healthy weight for a ten year old and she was below the average height. She weighed thirty two point five pounds and was four foot eight. And now that Ben thinks about it, he did remember seeing her ribs through her torn shirt when he was helping her up back in the forest. The doctor had taken Grandpa Max aside to explain that it was very likely that Amy had been starved which led to malnourishment and resulted in her stunted growth. Ben and Gwen had eavesdropped on the conversation.

"Malnourished? What does that mean?" Ben had asked.

"It means someone was intentionally starving Amy on purpose!" Gwen had said.

"So uh, did you get any sleep last night?" Ben asked.

Amy looked up at him.

"Hmm? O-oh! Y-yeah. I slept really well!" She said and went back to fiddling with her hair.

_She looks kinda cute when she does that. _Ben thought. _What am i saying?_

"Really? Because i heard someone moving around in the Rustbucket at three AM." Ben said.

Amy looked up at him.

"Oh. Well i'm kinda a night owl, you know." Amy said. "I tend to stay up late!" 

Ben stared at her for a moment.

"But you just said you got a good night's sleep." Ben pointed out.

"O-oh. Did i?" Amy said, fidgeting nervously.

"Yeah, you did." Ben said. He stopped walking and turned to look at her.

"In fact, there's a lot of things that don't add up now that i think about it. Like your foot first off." Ben said.

Amy looked down at her damaged (almost healed) foot.

"What about it?" She asked.

"Your foot looked like it was about to fall off yesterday. Then when we went to the hospital, it looked almost healed." Ben said.

"I just heal fast." Amy said.

Ben stared at her.

"Really?" He deadpanned. "You're able to heal a foot that should have virtually dead?" 

"Y-yes?" Amy said, twiddling her fingers.

Ben just blinked at her.

Amy looked away.

"Then there's you finding the Rustbucket even though i never told you what it looked like. Heck, you even found the campsite we were parked at!" Ben said.

Amy continued fidgeting.

"We were like three feet deep in the forest!" 

"Argh, what do you want me to say!" Amy exclaimed, dropping her hands and turning to face Ben.

"The truth. I won't be mad, i promise." Ben said.

Amy looked down at her feet.

"Well," She said, bringing her thumb to her mouth to chew on it. "It's complicated." 

Ben looked at her.

"How complicated?" Ben asked.

"You wouldn't understand." Amy said.

"Well help me understand!" Ben shouted.

"No!" Amy shouted.

"Why not?"

"I can't!"

Ben was taken aback by this.

"You can't? Why?" He asked.

Amy turned away from him.

"You would hate me if i do." She said, her voice low.

Ben stared at her. He walked around her and stopped once he was standing in front of her. He tilted her chin up. Amy's bright green eyes were full of unshed tears.

"Hey," Ben said softly. "I won't hate you, i just want to know what's going on." 

Amy looked at him.

"You promise?" She asked.

"I promise." Ben said.

Amy took a deep breath.

"Well-"

"Amelia Tabitha Animo!" A voice yelled.

Amy immediately paled, her green eyes going wide. Ben could have sworn he saw her pupils shrink.

Ben looked up.

Doctor Animo was flying on top of some weird floating platform.

"Animo! What are you doing here? Wait a minute did you just say Amelia Tabitha Animo!?" Ben exclaimed. He looked at Amy, who had tears streaming down her face.

"I told you you would hate me!" She cried.

"No i don't! I just- what's going on here!" Ben shouted.

"What's going on here, Tennyson is that you've been hiding my daughter from me!" Dr. Animo exclaimed.

"Daughter!?" Ben yelled. He looked at Amy and then back at Dr. Animo.

"No way is she related to you! She doesn't even look like you! She's certainly much prettier!" Ben yelled.

_Wait did i just call her pretty?!_

"Well she takes after her mother." Animo said.

"Don't you even mention Mom!" Amy screamed at Animo. "Her or Eliza! Not after what you did to them!"

"Eliza? You have a sister?" Ben asked.

Amy glared at Animo.

"I did. Until he killed her! Her and Mom!" Amy shouted.

"Now, now Daughter, i told you, i never found the bodies.

Amy lunged at him, Ben quickly grabbed her.

"DON'T CALL ME YOUR DAUGHTER!! YOU LOST THAT PRIVILEGE WHEN YOU EXPERIMENTED ON ME!!!" She screamed.

"Wait what!? He experimented on you?!" Ben exclaimed.

Okay, now he really wanted to smack Animo. Smack him and send him flying. Ben was pretty sure he could get Animo arrested for murder. Murder and child abuse. Sure they didn't have the bodies but Amy's words alone would be all the proof they needed. 

"Now, now Daughter, is that anyway to treat your dear old father?" Animo asked.

"YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER!!! MY REAL FATHER DIED TEN YEARS AGO AND LEFT ME WITH A QUACK!!! A MAD, CRAZY, IDIOTIC QUACK!!!" Amy screamed.

"That's it! I was hoping to bring you home peacefully, you know this is the first time in my life i wanted to resolve something peacefully. But you've left me no choice." Animo said. He dug a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button.

"Didn't you hear her? She said beat it!" Ben yelled. Geez, Animo was being really stubborn about this. Even more stubborn than when Ben foiled his evil plans.

"Arrrghh!" Amy screamed, doubling over in Ben's arms, grabbing the side of her neck.

"Amy?" Ben asked, worriedly. He glared at Animo.

"What did you do to her?!"

"Oh come now Tennyson, how do you think i found her?!" Animo asked.

"No." Ben said, shaking his head. "No, surely even someone as demented as you wouldn't go so far as to implement a tracking device on your own daughter!" 

"Of course i did! After that stunt her mother and sister pulled, i knew Amelia wouldn't be too far behind! I knew it was only a matter of time until she escaped! So i did what any father would do. I implanted a tracking device on her. And lo and behold, i leave my lab for an hour and i come back and she's gone! Unfortunately i forgot to calibrate the device to track her in both human and animal form. A fact that she clearly was aware of." Animo explained.

"What are you talking about? No father would implant his own daughter with a tracking device!" Ben yelled.

"Really? I thought they all did. Anyway, she stayed like that for two years until you, Tennyson. I don't know what you did, but it was clearly enough for her to turn human once more. And now that i've found her, i will never let her out of my sight again!" Animo shouted.

"And how do you plan on doing? I think she's made it pretty clear that she's not going anywhere with you!" Ben exclaimed. 

"Well you see Tennyson , in the event i ever found her, i installed a mind control device in the tracker, genius isn't it?" Animo asked.

"No! It's not! Amy's right, your no father!" Ben shouted.

"Oh yeah? Daughter, get him!" Animo shouted, turning a dial on the remote.

Amy let out a guttural sounding scream. Ben quickly looked down at her. 

Fine blond hairs began growing out of Amy's skin. Her nails started turning into claws and her teeth began sharpening.

Ben glared at Animo.

"Animo, i'm gonna get you for this!" Ben shouted.

Animo laughed.

"Good luck with that, Tennyson!" Animo said.

Animo pushed another button.

"Daughter, dispose of him!" Animo ordered.

"Amy no!" Ben exclaimed.

"Get....." Amy said.

"Get what?" Ben asked.

"Get..... Out....." She said.

"What?" Ben asked again.

"GET OUT!!!" Amy screamed. She grabbed Ben and threw him.

"Ahhhhh!" Ben yelled. He landed several feet away in a bush. It was a surprisingly soft landing to Ben's shock and amazement. He climbed out of the bush amd dashed back to where Amy and Animo had last been.

They were both gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. So heavy revelations. Animo experimented on Amy, her sister and her mother and then for killed Amy's mother and sister when they tried escaping. And now he's kidnapped Amy after she spent two years running away from him. Even sadder, she's been hiding from Animo for two years. She was eight when she ran away. Meaning she's spent two years, alone, in the wild, in wolf form with no one else but the other wild animals. And as you can see in the third and second chapter that life didn't fare well for her. It's pretty amazing that she survived in the wilderness for two years though. Sad, horrifying even but still pretty amazing.


	5. Saving Amy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Animo kidnaps Amy, Ben heads back to the Rustbucket to tell Gwen and Grandpa Max. They come up with a plan to rescue Amy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone and welcome to the final chapter of Animo's Secret Family. Last we left off, Animo had kidnapped Amy for who knows what reason (i mean seriously if he was really concerned about his daughter running around the woods by herself, you would think he would look for, tracking device working or not).

"No way!" Gwen said.

Ben had just finished telling them about Animo and how Amy was his daughter and how he had just kidnapped her.

"Way!" Ben said.

Gwen shook her head.

"No way! No way someone as sweet as Amy could possibly be related to that maniac!" Gwen exclaimed.

"She doesn't even look like him." Grandpa Max pointed out.

"She takes after her mother." Ben said.

"Animo had a wife?" Grandpa Max asked incredously.

"Yup and another daughter." Ben said.

"Animo had two daughters?" Gwen asked.

"Keyword, Had. He had a wife and two daughters, now he just has one daughter and that one daughter wants nothing to do with him." Ben said.

"What happened to them?" Gwen asked.

Ben scoffed.

"Animo killed them. Both of them." Ben said.

"What?!" Grandpa Max exclaimed.

"Well he said he never found the bodies. But i'm not buying it. Amy didn't either." Ben said.

"And now he's kidnapped her?" Gwen asked.

Ben nodded solemnly.

"We have to rescue her!" Grandpa Max said.

"But how?" Ben asked.

"Animo most likely has taken her back to his lab." Gwen began. "It's only a matter of getting inside and rescuing her."

"But what about the mind control device?" Ben asked.

"Mind control device?" Gwen asked.

"I might have forgotten to mention that Animo also has a mind control device installed in the tracker." Ben said, sheepishly.

Gwen stared at him.

"Okay, not only do you have to get inside Animo's lab, you also have to somehow disable the mind control device while trying to avoid being ripped to shreds by the girl you're trying to save." Gwen said.

"We have no time for a plan! The longer we sit here, who knows what terrible things are being done to Amy right now." Ben exclaimed.

"I hate to say Gwen, but Ben is right. The longer we stand around could be another minute that Amy can't afford to spare." Grandpa Max said. 

Gwen sighed.

"All right. Let's go."

After driving through the forest for hours on end, they finally came across Animo's lab.

"It looks more like an Observatory than a lab." Gwen pointed out.

"Trust me, this is the place." Ben said.

He stood up and went to the door.

"Ben?" Gwen called. 

Ben looked back.

"Be careful." Gwen said.

"Got it." Ben said.

He went to leave again.

"And Ben?"

"Yes, Gwen?" 

"Kick Animo's butt!" 

"You know i will." 

Ben crawled inside the lab through an outside vent.

_Geez if it's this easy to sneak in, i can see how Amy got out. _Ben thought. _I mean, who has vents on the outside of their secret laboratory leading into their secret laboratory?_

Ben kept on crawling.

_Actually, while i'm on the subject, who the heck experiments on their own kid? I'm pretty sure most mad scientists have a conscious when it comes to that kinda stuff. Is Animo truly that deranged, that demented, that he has no conscious whatsoever towards his own family. If that's the case, how did he even have a family in the first place. Surely Amy's mother would have packed up and left and took her two daughters with her if she knew what kind of man Animo really was. _Ben thought.

_Then again, Amy did say her real father died ten years ago. Could it really be possible that Animo wasn't like this at all? That he really was once a sane man with morals, ethics and a love for his family? Argh! my brain hurts just thinking about it._

Ben kept crawling until he reached a dead end. He found a vent leading into a room. Carefully, he dislodged the (surprisingly) flimsy vent cover and crawled out.

_Geez. No wonder Amy got out the first time. This entire place is flimsy. She probably could've just kicked a wall down if she was feeling particularly desperate. _Ben thought.

He looked around. He was in the main area of Animo's lab. There were tables covered in broken robots, various machine parts and tools and gears everywhere. Every imaginable surface was littered with science equipment and oil. 

Ben walked over to a table and picked up a framed photograph.

The photo had a woman that looked to be in her early twenties smiling. She had long curly dirty blonde hair and bright green eyes. She was covered in freckles from what Ben could see and had tan skin. She was wearing a white shirt and red shorts.

_That must be Amy's mother. _Ben thought. He had to admit, Animo wasn't joking when he said Amy took after her mother. 

There was another framed photograph next to the photo of Amy's mother. 

This one had a young girl about eight or seven in it. She had wavy dark brown hair and bright green eyes and she had a couple of freckles on her face, nose and neck. She was wearing a sports shirt with the number ninety one on it in dark purple glittery letters and basketball shorts. 

_That must be Eliza, Amy's sister. _Ben thought. _Wow, they both really took after their mother. _

The third framed photograph was of a younger Amy.

Amy looked to be about four or five. Her dirty blonde hair was lighter and she didn't have as many freckles as she did now. She was wearing a white shirt that looked several sizes too big for her.

_Aw, what a cutie. Okay Ben after you save Amy, ask Grandpa Max to take you to see a doctor._

There was one last photograph on the desk. It was larger than the other three. Amy's mother and sister were in the photo as well as Animo. 

Amy's mother was wearing a white blouse and gold pants and her was done up in a bun and she had on some makeup and was holding Amy, who had her hair in unbraided side pigtails secured by pastel pink ribbons and a light pink dress with a white skirt and light pink ballet flats. Eliza was wearing a gold and black dress and a black cardigan and gold ballet flats and her hair was in a ponytail. Animo looked younger in the photo and was wearing a black tuxedo. They were all standing in front of the Commonwealth Air Force Memorial. Ben nearly dropped the photo when he looked closer.

Animo was smiling.

_They must have gone to some kind of fancy event. Wait a minute! Amy's Canadian?! Wow. Come to think of it she does say sorry and about with a bit of an accent. And she really likes maple syrup. And she calls a beanie a Touque. _Ben thought.

Ben turned around only to come face to face with a glass cage. There were two others next to it. 

It was Animo had kept Amy, Eliza and their mother imprisoned. Well up until he killed Eliza and his wife when they escaped and Amy ran away. 

The first cage had a double bed and a rug and a vanity. There was also a huge bookcase and a sofa and reading lamp as well as a desk. There were also vases that had been filled with flowers that were now wilted. Even more heartbreaking the flowers had been bouquets of violets, carnations, roses, camellia, bells-of-ireland, magnolia, primroses, tulips, dahlias, sweet peas, gardenias, peonies, hydrangeas and chrysanthemum. Now they were all wilted and dried, crumbling and falling off of their stems.

The second room had a single bed and a black and white rug. There were posters all over the room, a study desk, a bookcase and tons of CDs and records and a guitar. The room looked like that of a teenage girl.

_I guess Eliza was going through a phase. _Ben thought. 

The third room looked like a little girls room. There was a small round table and four chairs around it. There was a pretty pink and purple tea set on it. There was a toy vanity mirror and a bookshelf and a pretty pink bed with a canopy over it. There was also a plush pink rug and the bed was filled with stuffed animals.

_Oh that's it! Animo is going down! How could he do this to his own family! _Ben thought. 

"Well hello Tennyson!" Animo said.

Ben whirled around.

Animo was still standing on top of his stupid floating platform with a stupid smug smile on his stupid face.

Ben wanted desperately to send Animo and his stupid, floating platform flying. Preferably to Mars. The Martians would take care of him. 

"No usual quips? Wow, you must really be angry." Animo said. "If i didn't know any better, i'd say you had a crush on my daughter." 

_Is that what's wrong with me? I have a crush?! Nah. I couldn't possibly have a crush. Animo must be trying to get into my head. R-right? _Ben thought.

"Can it, you quack scientist! Where's Amy?!" Ben said.

"Where she belongs." Animo said.

Ben scoffed.

"I don't know what's going on in that head of yours but your clearly delusional if you think that she belongs anywhere with you! She ran away from you! Take a hint! She doesn't even acknowledge you as her father anymore!" Ben shouted. 

"I'm protecting the world from that monster! I'm protecting her from herself and the rest of the world!" Animo shouted.

"Please, you don't care about Amy or the world. If you did you wouldn't have experimented on her in the first place! And she's not a monster! And even if she was, she's only a monster because you made her into one!" Ben shouted. "And while we're on the subject, why would you even experiment on your daughters in the first place?" 

"To bring about a new era of evolution! If they survived the process that meant i would as well. Then i could finally make my father proud of me!" Animo said.

Ben stared at him.

"If your father knew just how you brought about a new era of evolution, i'm pretty sure he would disown you." Ben deadpanned.

"Well, let's see if you still think that once i'm threw with you! Alphas get him!" Animo shouted.

Nothing came.

Ben looked at Animo.

"Well? Where are they?" Ben asked.

"I forgot. I haven't heard back from since the farm. Come to think of it, i should probably go check on them. Right after i deal with you!" Animo shouted, pushing a button on his remote.

A robot walked out of the room.

"Security bot, remove this pest from the premises!" 

Ben cranked the dial to Four Arms and hit the switch.

He tore off a metal beam and then hit the robot out through the ceiling.

Animo looked up at the skylight that Ben had just made.

"You know, i just fixed that ceiling." Animo said.

"Yeah, well too bad!" Ben said. He batted Animo and his (stupid) floating platform out through the hole.

"This isn't over yet, Tennyson! I will have my revenge! Daughter, destroy him!" Animo shouted as he flew away.

A low growl sounded from the room.

"This'll be easy. All i have to do is get the mind control slash tracker chip off of her and then we can go burgers." Ben said.

And then the Omnitrix started beeping.

"Why do i always say these things?" Ben lamented as he timed out.

"Okay, how bad can it be? I mean, it's not like she can turn into a huge, hulking monster." Ben said.

Loud footsteps sounded from the room.

Ben gulped.

"That doesn't sound like a wolf. Or any animal i've ever seen." Ben said, slowly backing up. 

A huge hulking creature, stepped out of the shadows. It had long blonde matted fur and huge sharp, black claws and razor sharp teeth and a large snout and pointy ears. It had unmistakable crazed, bright green eyes.

"Amy?" Ben whimpered. He was so dead. 

The creature that was undeniably Amy roared at him and brought down it's claws. Ben jumped behind the table, just barely missing getting sliced in half.

_Think Ben, think. How are you going to get that chip off of her? _

Ben looked up. The creature (Amy) was tearing up the room looking for him, throwing tables and equipment out of the way. 

Ben looked at the table.

_If i climb up there and get her attention, she'll come over and slash the table and then i can climb up her arm, jump on her back, crawl to her neck and get the chip off. Okay, so this plan is pretty convoluted, planning was never really my strong suit. _

Ben climbed up onto the table.

"Hey over here!" He shouted. The Amy-beast looked up, let out large snarl and ran over.

_Okay get ready to jump. _Ben thought.

The Beast Amy brought it's claws down, Ben jumped onto it's arm just as it slashed the table in half. The beast roared and started trying to slash at Ben.

"Hey careful," Ben shouted as he climbed up the Beast Amy's arm. "You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep doing that."

Ben climbed on it's back and started crawling up to it's neck. The beast started running around and thrashing, trying to shake him off.

"Hey, hey! Calm down, i'm trying to help you!" Ben shouted. 

_I gotta hurry up and get this thing off her. It's really messing with her head._

Ben reached the beast's neck and found the mind control/tracker chip. Ben grabbed it and yanked it out. The beast let out a loud roar and threw him off. 

Ben landed on the ground, the chip falling on the ground. The beast let out another roar as it began shrinking. The beat passed out as it turned back into Amy.

Ben ran to her.

"Amy, Amy, are you okay?" Ben asked, crouching beside her.

"No." She said, softly. "I'm not."

She looked up at Ben with tear filled eyes. 

"I'm sorry." 

"Hey," Ben said softly, rubbing her back. "None of that was your fault. Animo had you under his control." 

Amy sniffled.

"Why doesn't he love me? Did i do something wrong?" Amy asked.

Ben looked at her.

"No, you did nothing wrong. You're sweet and nice and kind. He doesn't deserve a daughter like you." Ben said, hugging Amy. She hugged him back.

"You want to come with us? We're on a summer road trip. Who knows, we might find the rest of your family." Ben said.

Amy wiped her face and gave him a small smile.

"You mean that?" She asked, hopeful.

Ben smiled at her.

"I do."

He stood up and handed Amy his hand. She grabbed it and he helped her up. Together they walked out of Animo's lab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of Animo's secret family! Sorry if the writings weird or didn't flow properly or the pacing is off. I had started writing the second story in the series while finishing this and i'm not all that good at writing fight scenes. I hope you all enjoyed regardless and i'll see you all in the second story!!!


End file.
